Geelong Cats 2010 season preview

The Geelong Cats have been truly dominant in the last 3 years and this year looks like it will stay that way. The Cats won the 2009 AFL Premiership in a courageous contest against the Saints. The Cats have so much to offer this season. In this season preview I will discuss 5 of Geelong’s stand out players. If these players can perform throughout this year, there is no doubt Geelong will reach the big stage.

Back – Josh Hunt

Hunt had severely injured himself in the 2009 pre season after he accidentally slipped and ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament . He spent the whole 2009 season on the sidelines as he watches his teammates win yet another premiership, two in three years in fact . After a consistent pre-season in 2010, Hunt will be once again looking to launch himself in Geelong’s defence.

Hunt has spotless skill by foot. Hunt has a superb specialty skill of kicking low but very powerfully over long distances, this is purely eye-catching. Hunt also has a powerful kicking leg, his kicking and is regarded as one of the longest kicks in the game. With his natural gift of effortlessly hitting targets over 60 metres, expect Hunt to be given the full back role in the year 2010.

Midfield – Gary Ablett

This exceptionally talented midfielder is talked as one of the greatest if not, the greatest competitor of the competition. Ablett had a perfect season in 2009 concluding second in total possessions and first in total handballs. What's more, Ablett combined a ridiculous 40 possessions or more five times during the season, which as you would have thought secured him the 2009 Brownlow Medal.

Ablett is tremendous around the stoppages winning his own footy and explodes through the contests where he so often delivers perfect passes to his forwards. Ablett is a efficient supplier of goals kicking 27 goals for the Cats in 2009. For the Cats to win the premiership again in 2010, it is essential they’ll need another huge season from Ablett.

Forward – Tom Hawkins

The lively forward started to show some constant form in 2009 playing an vital role in the Cats’ attack, where he appeared in 24 out of a potential 25 games throughout the season. Hawkins presents himself well to his midfield and always supplies an option when the Cats attack.

The specialty of Hawkins’ game regularly involves his strong marking, precise kicking and extraordinary agility for a man of his size. The downside of Hawkins’ season in 2009 was his incapability to kick more than three goals in any of the games he played. For Hawkins to stamp his influence on the game, he’ll need to start kicking four or five goals on a fairly daily basis. The upside… he has the ability to do just that.

Ruckman – Brad Ottens

Initially used as a forward, Ottens has made a name for himself in the ruck playing around Geelong midfield stars, Gary Ablett Jnr, Jimmy Bartel had Joel Selwood, just to name a couple of their star players. His force at the stoppages against opposition ruckman allows his midfielders to crumb from the many hitouts Ottens creates per game. With an aging body, Ottens’ biggest test in 2010 will be whether he can participate out a full season.

The dominant ruckman suffered from an incoherent 2009 due to injuries that restricted him to just six games for the season – one of them, the most important game in the season, the 2009 Grand Final. When fit, the Geelong ruckman is one of the most powerful players of the Cats’ unit.

Recruit – James Podsiadly

I do not know a whole lot on the Geelong drafts or “unknown players” but through some research I found James Podsiadly. The 28-year-old draft would’ve thought years ago that his dream to one day play AFL would never be recognized after unsuccessful runs at both Essendon and Collingwood. James must have been ecstatic when he found out the Cats had picked him up in the rookie draft.

Podsiadly has a big chance of being promoted to the senior squad after early pre-season form tells selectors he would make a precious addition to the Cats’ forward line. After being named as captain for Geelong’s reserve side in 2009, Podsiadly had a brilliant season kicking 68 goals and ending up as the side’s Best and Fairest winner. Once a dream that looked to be broken, Podsiadly looks to make a season debut for the Cats this year.

Final Season Prediction

The Cats did show a few signs of unpredictability in 2009. However, Geelong had enough skill last year to win the premiership.

The Cats need to keep the same form as last year to put them in the history books as one of the best teams in the modern era.

I predict that the Cats will finish 1st or 2nd.

Regardless of the loss of the club captain and legend in Tom Harley, it's complicated to picture Geelong being much weaker than in previous years. The Cats could again be the team to beat this year.